Floating trash in Rio de Janeiro’s picturesque, but polluted Guanabara Bay has forced organizers to switch venues for an Olympic sailing test event.
The men’s and women’s events in the 470 two-person dinghy on Friday had to be moved from the Bridge course because of “objects in the water,” the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) said in a statement.
The events were initially moved to another course, Niteroi, but a lack of wind there forced organizers to move them yet again, to the Naval School course, the ISAF said.
In all, there are six sailing courses planned for next year’s Olympics in Brazil, the first to be held in South America. Three courses are inside the bay and three on the Atlantic Ocean.
However, the postcard-perfect backdrop of the bay has been overshadowed by pollution concerns.
Huge amounts of raw sewage from the Rio urban area currently pour into the bay, along with floating garbage, discarded furniture, dead animals and other debris.
With less than a year to go until the Games open on Aug. 5, city officials have acknowledged they will not be able to keep their initial promise to clean up 80 percent of the pollution.
That has raised health fears for athletes and concerns that floating trash could disrupt events.
That happened during another test event on Saturday, when two Brazilian sailors’ Nacra 17 boat tipped over after their rudder snagged on a garbage bag.
Authorities have dispatched 20 trash boats to scoop up the debris and installed “eco barriers” around the courses to try to hold the trash at bay.
The ISAF said it is working closely with Rio officials to address the issue of water quality.
“Sailing as a sport has six planned courses for the Rio Olympics. It is very common to move between courses [due to] wind — too little or too much — debris, shipping movements, etc,” ISAF spokesman Malcolm Page said in an e-mail.
Organizers have denied reports the sailing competitions could be relocated away from the bay.
“While work remains to be done, ISAF, Rio 2016 and all relevant local authorities are confident that the venue will be ready to host 380 sailors during the Olympic Sailing Competition in one year’s time,” the ISAF said.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to